


No Peace in Mayview

by twilighteve



Category: Paranatural (Webcomic)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Humor, maybe it counts as humor? i guess?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-17
Updated: 2016-03-17
Packaged: 2018-05-27 06:49:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6274093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twilighteve/pseuds/twilighteve
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Max comes home to find chaos; the Activity Club and Zoey agreed to never let Spender and Dad Puckett meet ever again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Peace in Mayview

**Author's Note:**

  * For [whytho](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whytho/gifts).



Having had the craziest week ever in the first few days in Mayview, Max wanted nothing more than a peaceful day off. Thankfully, weekends provided just that.

Plus, the rest of the Activity Club agreed to help him practice to shape his spectral energy, so it should be peaceful _and_ productive. Max couldn’t ask for anything anymore.

Said practice session was held at the woods surrounding Mayview, where Isabel showed him how it was, exactly, to feel the barrier around Mayview without the Ghost Train’s interference. (Of course, there was some train-love jokes slipped in between, but it was hardly important.) The practice was serious at first, but soon evolved into something akin of a game of tag, using their spectral energy as tools in their game – actual tools like Max’s bat, Ed’s brush, and Isabel’s umbrella was forbidden. While Max’s control over his spectral energy was still weak and the cast in his arm was downright infuriating at times, he managed to jump around using the magical power of parkour, getting an upper hand at the game. He was thankfully able to match the other three members this way. It would suck to be _it_ all the time. Somehow, the practice-slash-game lasted for hours, and before they knew it, the sun had already begun to set. At least Max could fire a decent spec-shot by then.

“We should go home now,” Isaac spoke up during their latest break, pointing at the reddening sky. “We can’t stay out for too long.”

“Unfortunately,” Isabel muttered before grinning. “Let’s make a quick stop at the Corner Store!”

“What? Why?” Max blinked in surprise and confusion. The finger Isabel jabbed at his direction definitely didn’t help.

“Free soda and snack,” Isabel’s answer was laced with faked innocence that Max had to stop himself from growling at her face.

“Pay the snack and you’ll have the soda for free,” he bade instead.

“Deal,” Isabel grinned.

“But we can take more than a can each, right?” Ed asked with the same fake innocence Isabel just had in her face.

Max glared. “Are you people planning to drag me into bankruptcy?”

They chatted and joked as they walked back to town, complaining about sore feet and joking about not being able to walk anymore out of fatigue. Isaac mock-crawled while they climbed the hill. Ed drew a crutch. Max and Isabel both used their tools to help them walk at some point. It was tiring, true, but it was also generally cheerful, and they wouldn’t complain about _that_.

When they got to the Corner Store, Zoey was waving a girl her age goodbye. The girl passed the group of middle schoolers while waving a ‘hi’, and she skipped away before they could respond.

“Hey, Zo,” Max greeted his sister as he came near. “Was that your friend?”

“Yep!” Zoey grinned. “We had a goof time chatting. Too bad I had to stay downstairs to man the register.”

“Why? Is your dad out?” Isaac asked in confusion.

“Yeah, he went out with your teacher,” Zoey explained. “The one with the sunglasses and expensive car.”

“They did?”

“Yeah. Your teacher said something about wanting to explain about some of your club activities that might happen at night like that one time and that they’re safe. I don’t think they should have taken this long, though…”

The Activity Club members shared a glance. Somehow, they didn’t think this would end nicely.

As if on cue, a familiar car pulled over by the kids. The window rolled open, revealing the familiar face of the very teacher they were talking about. “Hello, children,” Spender greeted jovially.

And then Dad revealed himself, leaning forward from his place at the passenger’s seat. He smiled and waved. “Whoa, so crowded today?” he remarked. “Go on, go inside! Grab something for yourself. It’s on the house.”

If any of them planned to respond, they didn’t. s faint booming sound filled the air, accompanied by a shudder that reverberated through the air and shook them, making a trembling feeling behind their navels. The children shared another glance and peered out, looking from behind the car. Their faces were immediately drained of all colors.

“Is…” Isabel’s voice was suitably faint. “Is the _lake_ on _fire_?”

Both adults in the car looked at the lake.

“Huh,” Spender mumbled, frowning. “I wonder if it was us.” He looked at the other man in the car, but he only shrugged, looking painfully innocent for someone who might have just committed who-knows-what.

Ed took a photo of the lake with his phone’s camera, a move that none of them could ever predict. At his friends’ look, he defended himself, “What? I’m selling this to Suzy.”

There was another boom and shudder, and this time they _did_ see a pillar of fire reaching to the sky.

“I hope that wasn’t the restaurant we just visited,” Dad stared at the second explosion.

“Well it _was_ in the general area, so I hope not,” Spender agreed.

The children stared at the flames dancing with the wind, failing to find any word worthy to be used to describe the surreality of the situation. There was a faint sound of people screaming in the air. Groups of spirits fled from the fires, screeching, bumping into each other while they ran and flew to all directions as though they couldn’t see.

“The light! It burns!” screamed a spirit as it flew past Isaac’s head.

“It’s blinding!” another spirit wailed, bumping into Ed’s shoulder before continuing its apparently blind flight.

The Activity Club members turned to Spender. He smiled and shrugged, sheepish.

“We can’t let them hang out together ever again,” Max concluded.

Zoey squeezed his hand. “We can’t let them _meet_ ever again,” she corrected.

“Agreed,” Isabel and Ed responded simultaneously, while Isaac nodded his agreement.

“Whaaat? What did we do?” Dad protested immediately, looking genuinely lost.

Max stared at him incredulously. “I’m not dealing with this,” he declared and walked into the store, quickly followed by the rest of the kids. The two adults remained at the car, sharing a confused look and shrugging.

So much for a peaceful evening, Max thought to himself.

**Author's Note:**

> The idea was given by whytho in their comment in another Pnat fanfic (Some Days). Funny how that angsty fic could somehow spawn this decidedly-not-angsty one. Anyway, thanks for the idea, whytho! It was fun to write.
> 
> I changed parts of it from your original comment though. Cause let's face it, Spender and Dad Puckett are totally the type of people who, when put together and somehow managed to create mayhem, won't realize that they were the cause of it or if they do, they won't realize to what extent the damage actually is.


End file.
